1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a probe apparatus, and more particularly, to a probe apparatus for testing the electrical properties of a semiconductor device, such as an integrated circuit, formed in a semiconductor wafer or LCD substrate, by bringing probes of a probe card into contact with electrode pads of the device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, the probe apparatus of this type comprises a mount supporting a substrate, such as a wafer, and movable in the horizontal and vertical directions, and a probe card located over the mount. The probe card is provided with a number of probes which are to be in contact with electrode pads of a semiconductor chip or test object.
The probe card is connected electrically to a test head overlying it by means of pogo pins and the like. The test head, which is rotatable around a hinge portion, can move between a testing position and a retreated position. Also known is an arrangement such that the test head is supported for up-and-down motion by means of a manipulator.
There are probe cards of the so-called horizontal and vertical types. A horizontal-type probe card is arranged such that the respective proximal ends of probes are soldered to a conductor pattern formed on the lower surface of a printed board, and the free ends of the probes are centralized. A vertical-type probe card is arranged such that the respective distal ends of probes are vertically guided through the central portion of a printed board to the underside thereof, and are bundled and isolated electrically from one another by means of a resin material.
Although horizontal-type probe cards have conventionally enjoyed higher popularity in the field, it is difficult, in this type, to enhance the integration of the probes. Recently, therefore, vertical-type probe cards, which are suited for higher-integration probe arrangement, have been becoming prevailing.
With the development of higher-integration versions of semiconductor integrated circuits, the number of devices for each semiconductor chip and the switching speed increase, thus entailing higher power consumption. Probe cards for testing these higher-integration, higher-consumption integrated circuits require use of many probes for supply potentials, as well as probes for the contact with signal terminals of the integrated circuits. In the case of a probe card having a total of 1,500 probes, for example, about 500 of these probes are used for the supply potentials.
In testing a high-consumption integrated circuit chip by using a probe card with a lot of probes, however, if that terminal of the integrated circuit which is connected to a supply potential is shorted to the ground side, for example, electric current is concentrated on that probe which is in contact with the shorted terminal, thereby fusing the probe. If any of the probes is broken, then the whole probe card becomes of no use.
Thereupon, various probe apparatuses have recently been proposed in which fuses are interposed between probes and a power source, as shown in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Nos. 63-31130 and 3-24743. These probe apparatuses are designed such that the fuses are arranged on a printed board or substrate of the probe card and in the middle of conductor patterns. Accordingly, blown fuses cannot be replaced with high efficiency. If the probes used are increased in number, moreover, it becomes difficult to mount a corresponding number of fuses on the printed board.